Trailers (e.g., recreational trailers, utility trailers, boat trailers, semi-trailers, and the like) may be towed by towing vehicles (e.g., automobiles and trucks). Some trailers are provided with electric-over-hydraulic trailer braking systems, which typically include hydraulic trailer brakes and an electric-over-hydraulic brake actuator coupled to the trailer that receives an electrical activation signal from a trailer brake controller and provides hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic trailer brakes upon receipt of the electrical activation signal.
Some trailers are provided with electric trailer braking systems, which typically include electric trailer brakes having brake shoes that frictionally engage a drum when activated. In such systems, an electromagnet is typically mounted on one end of a lever in order to actuate the brake shoes. When an electric current is applied to the electromagnet, the lever is pivoted as the electromagnet is drawn against the rotating brake drum, thereby actuating the electric trailer brakes.
Both electric-over-hydraulic trailer braking systems and electric braking systems are controlled by a trailer brake controller, which is generally coupled to a towing vehicle. The trailer brake controller controls a trailer brake output circuit that provides electric current to control the application of the trailer brakes.
Some trailer brake control systems include a manual slider, which may be manipulated by a user to manually apply the trailer brakes. Such systems include a manual trailer brake activation slider circuit that outputs a signal used by the trailer brake control system to manually control the trailer brakes. Such a manual trailer brake activation slider circuit may malfunction in a variety of ways.
Accordingly, a need exists for systems for controlling trailer brake output circuits and to systems for monitoring manual trailer brake activation slider circuits.